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The invention relates to an apparatus and method for washing the undercarriage and tires of a vehicle, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for washing mud, dirt and silt from the tires of a truck leaving a construction site.
At many construction sites, particularly in urban areas, the land must be cleared of debris and a large amount of soil must be excavated from the construction site before construction can commence. The construction company or general contractor typically contracts with a hauling subcontractor to remove the debris and excavated soil. The hauling subcontractor typically utilizes dump trucks to transport the debris and excavated soil from the construction site to a dumpsite. The dump trucks have large tires, typically four feet or more in diameter, that collect substantial amounts of mud, dirt and silt from the construction site. The mud, dirt and silt on the tires of the truck is dispersed onto the roadways leading away from the construction site as the truck departs the construction site for the dumpsite. Generally, the concentration of mud, dirt and silt dispersed from the truck tires is greatest on the roadways immediately surrounding the construction site.
Motorists that encounter the mud, dirt and silt dispersed onto the roadway as they pass the construction site often complain to the local authorities, such as the police or erosion control officials, about the condition of the roadway. The local authorities in turn instruct the construction company or general contractor to clean the mud, dirt and silt from the roadways surrounding the construction site. Those that do not comply may be assessed a fine in the event that the local municipality is required to clean the roadways. Typically, the construction company or general contractor demand that the hauling subcontractor be responsible for maintaining the roadways surrounding the construction site substantially free of the mud, dirt and silt that is dispersed from the tires of the trucks leaving the construction site. Accordingly, many hauling subcontractors own or rent street cleaning machines which carry tanks of water or connect to municipal fire hydrants to provide the water necessary to wash the mud, dirt and silt from the roadways surrounding the construction site.
While the street cleaning machines generally do an adequate job of washing the mud, dirt and silt from the roadways, they create a serious environmental problem. The water carrying the mud, dirt and silt from the surrounding roadways runs off into the municipal storm drain system. The mud, dirt and silt travels through the storm drain system and eventually reaches a run-off creek where it collects and causes the creek to overflow its banks when it rains. As a result, property adjoining the run-off creek floods and the property owners complain to the local authorities about the damage and inconvenience suffered as a result of the flooding. Once again, the local authorities may instruct the construction company or general contractor to remove the excess mud, dirt and silt from the run-off creek or may impose a fine in the event that the local municipality is required to dredge the storm drain system or the run-off creek. Furthermore, the mud, dirt and silt washed into the storm drain system may contain a higher than acceptable concentration of petroleum and petroleum by-products acquired from the construction site and the roadway that pose a serious threat of polluting the run-off creek.
As a result of dirty roadways, clogged storm drains and run-off creeks, flooding and pollution, more and more municipalities are enacting ordinances that require the tires of trucks leaving a construction site be washed before the trucks leave the construction site. In municipalities that have enacted such ordinances, the present practice is to construct a ramp leading to an elevated grate. The truck drives up the ramp and the tires of the truck are positioned on the grate. A worker then manually washes the mud, dirt and silt from the tires using a small diameter fire hose connected to a source of water. It typically takes between eight and ten minutes to wash the tires of each truck leaving the construction site. Thus, the present apparatus and method is time consuming, and therefore, not cost effective. Furthermore, the mud, dirt and silt from the tires of the truck is washed back onto the construction site. On many construction sites, and in particular on urban construction sites, the area of the excavation covers the entire construction site. Washing the mud, dirt and silt back onto the construction site is therefore unacceptable because and the mud, dirt and silt collect inside the excavation.
It is apparent that there exists a need for an apparatus and method for washing the tires of trucks. More particularly, there exists a need for an apparatus and method for washing mud, dirt and silt from the tires of trucks leaving a construction site to prevent the mud, dirt and silt from being dispersed onto the roadways surrounding the construction site. There exists a further need for an apparatus and method for washing mud, dirt and silt from the tires of trucks leaving a construction site that prevents the mud, dirt and silt from being washed into a municipal storm drain. There exists a further need for an apparatus and method for washing mud, dirt and silt from the tires of trucks leaving a construction site that is cost effective. There exists a further need for an apparatus and method for washing mud, dirt and silt from the tires of trucks leaving a construction site that prevents the mud, dirt and silt from being washed back onto the construction site.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for washing the tires of trucks.
It is another, and more particular, object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for washing mud, dirt and silt from the tires of trucks leaving a construction site.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for washing mud, dirt and silt from the tires of trucks leaving a construction site that prevents the mud, dirt and silt from being washed into a municipal storm drain.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for washing mud, dirt and silt from the tire of trucks leaving a construction site that is cost effective.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for washing mud, dirt and silt from the tires of trucks leaving a construction site that prevents the mud, dirt and silt from being washed back onto the construction site.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for washing mud, dirt and silt from the tires of trucks leaving a construction site that is substantially portable, readily assembled and readily disassembled for storage or transport from one construction site to another.
The invention is an apparatus and method for washing mud, dirt and silt from the tires of a truck leaving a construction site. The apparatus includes a water supply line, a collection basin and a grate positioned above the collection basin. The apparatus further includes an optional side rail attached to the collection basin above the grate and an optional drainage system. The water supply line supplies water from a source of water, such as an external tank and pump or a municipal fire hydrant, for washing the mud, dirt and silt off the tires of the truck. The collection basin includes a generally rectangular floor, a pair of opposed end walls and a pair of opposed side walls. Preferably, the end walls and the side walls form a continuous side wall extending upwardly from the floor of the collection basin. Together, the floor and the continuous side wall define an interior cavity of the collection basin for collecting the mud, dirt and silt and the run-off water from the source of water used to wash the tires of the truck. The collection basin further includes a plurality of grate supports for supporting the grate above the interior cavity and a plurality of drain ports formed in the opposed side walk. Each of the drain ports is fitted with a gasket for receiving a component of the optional drainage system or a plug. The collection basin further includes a plurality of side rail receptacles for attaching the side rail to the collection basin.
The grate includes a hollow, generally rectangular frame and a plurality of hollow, transverse spray tubes in fluid communication with the frame. The frame has an intake port located at a corner of the collection basin adjacent the exterior side wall. Preferably, a selector valve is positioned within the intake port and the water supply is connected to the selector valve such that the frame and the spray tubes are in fluid communication with the water supply line. Each of the spray tubes has a plurality of spray ports formed therein for directing a high pressure stream of the water from the water source at the tires of the truck when the selector valve is opened. In an alternative embodiment, the frame of the grate includes at least two longitudinally extending beams and a plurality of equally spaced, transverse tire supports affixed to the upper surface of the beams. The spray tubes of the grate are positioned below the tire supports and pass through a series of holes formed in the beams. The ends of the spray tubes are in fluid communication with a generally rectangular spray tube frame affixed to the exterior surfaces of the outer beams. The spray tube frame has an intake port located at a corner of the collection basin adjacent the exterior side wall such that the spray tube frame is in fluid communication with the water supply line. Each of the spray tubes has a plurality of spray ports formed therein for directing a high pressure stream of the water from the water source at the tires of the truck when the selector valve is opened.
The optional side rail includes a side rail panel and at least one side rail spray tube affixed to the side rail panel. The side rail further includes a plurality of side rail posts depending downwardly from the side rail panel. The side rail posts are received within the side rail receptacles of the collection basin to attach the side rail to the exterior side wall of the collection basin. The side rail panel is generally rectangular and has a lengthwise dimension that is approximately the same as the lengthwise dimension of the collection basin and the grate. The side rail spray tube is affixed to the side rail panel such that the side rail spray tube is located at about the center of the tires of the truck. The side rail spray tube has an intake port at one end for receiving an auxiliary water supply line routed from the selector valve such that the side rail spray tube is in fluid communication with the water supply line. The side rail spray tube further has a plurality of spray ports formed therein for directing a high pressure stream of the water from the water source at the tires of the truck when the selector valve is opened.
Preferably, the apparatus includes a left-hand collection basin and a right hand collection basin positioned generally parallel to and adjacent the left-hand collection basin. Likewise, the apparatus preferably includes a left-hand grate positioned above the left-hand collection basin and a right-hand grate positioned above the right-hand collection basin If utilized, the apparatus preferably further includes a left-hand side rail attached to the left-hand collection basin and a right-hand side rail attached to the right-hand collection basin. Preferably, the collection basin, the grate and the side rail are universal such that the collection basin can be used as either a left-hand collection basin or a right-hand collection basin. Likewise, the grate can be used as either a left-hand grate or a right-hand grate and the side rail can be used as either a left-hand side rail or a right-hand side rail. If utilized, the optional drainage system includes a pair of drain conduits positioned within the drain ports formed in the interior side wall of the left-hand collection basin and the right-hand collection basin. Accordingly, the left-hand collection basin is in fluid communication with the right-hand collection basin. The drainage system further includes discharge hose coupler positioned within one of the drain ports formed in the exterior side wall of the left-hand collection basin or the right-hand collection basin. A discharge hose is connected to the discharge hose coupler such that the interior cavities of the left-hand collection basin and the right-hand collection basin are in fluid communication with an external recycling tank or a municipal storm drain.
The tires of a truck leaving the construction site are driven onto the grates positioned above the interior cavities of the collection basins. As the tires pass over the grates, water from the water source flows through the left-hand water supply line and the right-hand water supply line to the selector valves on the frames of the left-hand grate and the right-hand grate, respectively. The selector valves are opened to deliver the water from the water source only to the frames and the spray tubes of the left-hand grate and the right-hand grate. If the optional side rails are utilized, the selector valves are opened to deliver the water from the water source to both the frames and spray tubes of the left-hand grate and the right-hand grate and to the side rail spray tubes of the left-hand side rail and the right-hand side rail. Alternatively, the selector valve may be opened to deliver the water from the water source only to the spray tubes of the left-hand side rail and the right-hand side rail. Regardless, a high pressure stream of the water from the water source is emitted from the spray ports and/or the side rail spray ports and directed at the tires of the truck. After the mud, dirt and silt from the construction site are sufficiently washed off, the tires of the truck are driven off the grates and onto a roadway surrounding the construction site. The mud, dirt and silt washed off the tires of the truck collects in the interior cavities of the collection basins. The run-off water from the water source the water source also collects in the interior cavities of the collection basins until the run-off water reaches the level of the drain conduits and the discharge hose coupler positioned within the drain ports formed in the side walls of the collection basins. Thereafter, the run-off water drains through the discharge hose into the external recycling tank or the municipal storm drain. When the amount of mud, dirt and silt collected in the interior cavities of the collection basins reaches a predetermined level, the grates are removed to permit access to the interior cavities of the collection basins. The mud, dirt and silt is then removed from the interior cavities of the collection basins using a conventional excavator, backhoe or front-end loader having a smooth edge bucket. When the excavation is complete, the apparatus is easily disassembled and readily stored or transported to another construction site.